


The Angel Islington

by GamblingPascal



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Bikers, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Barista Finn, Crimes & Criminals, Criminal Poe, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Build, biker Poe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-13 06:37:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5698663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GamblingPascal/pseuds/GamblingPascal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You should stay away from him, Finn.” Rey muttered, a knowing look on her face. Finn had his elbows resting on the counter in front of him, his chin cradled in the palms of his hands. Without removing his gaze from the man across the room, Finn huffed out a sigh and dropped his arms, reaching behind him to tighten his apron. </p>
<p>“Whatever.” He groaned pathetically.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. By the waters of the Thames I resolved to start again.

It had been a slow day at the cafe, with only a few customers passing through every hour or so - Finn and Rey were the only two left on duty. It was nearing nine o’clock and Finn was beginning to get antsy after having been on his feet for five hours. He personally felt that it was unnecessary for them to stay open so late but he wasn’t going to complain, after all it meant that he was getting paid the same amount for considerably less work.

“Hey, Rey!” he called, waving his arms in his friend’s general direction as to catch her gaze. Rey was sat in one of the booths, her headphones plugged in, slowly swaying in time with the music as her eyes drifted shut. He tried calling her name another time, but after once again failing to grab her attention he walked around the counter and over towards his friend, snatching the headphones off of the girl’s head. Rey leapt forward with a yelp, trying to grab them back.

“You want to close up early?” He asked, now dangling the headphones in front of her temptingly. Rey relaxed back into her seat with a small frown. “I think we’re basically done here.” To prove his point, Finn waved his arms around slightly, gesturing towards all of the empty tables.

“Alright.” Rey shrugged, not moving from her position. “But if we get caught I’m blaming you.” Finn beamed at her. 

-

As Finn was stacking the chairs on the tables, he heard a chime call out behind him, alerting him that a customer had just walked in. Trying to hide his slight frustration, Finn turned around, a taut smile plastered on his face and one of the chairs clutched in his arms.

“Um,” the man stuttered, glancing around at the empty room. “Are you closing up?” There was a slightly woeful look in his eyes, and Finn felt his annoyance dwindle, lowering the chair back onto the ground.

“No, it’s alright.” Finn croaked, finding himself distracted by the figure in front of him, his eyes scoping him appreciatively, fixating slightly on the way the man’s trousers clung tightly against his legs. After a few moments of silence the other man cleared his throat, dropping the door behind him as he walked over to the counter, waiting for Finn to follow along. Finn shuffled his way around to the other side, hoping that the man hadn’t noticed what he had been doing. However, as he looked up at his face, the roguish grin hanging from the man’s lips told him that his hopes were in vain.

“What can I get for you?” Finn asked, lowering his gaze to the cash register.

“I’ll have a triple espresso-to-go, please.” The man purred, looking up at Finn through his lashes, one of his hands rummaging around in his wallet. 

“Late night?” Finn asked, steepling his fingers towards the register.

The man sent him a tight lipped smile. “Most likely.” He replied, handing over the change. Finn took it silently, hurrying over to the coffee machine.

A few minutes later he placed the drink down on the counter where the other man was still waiting, his eyes pinned to the phone in his hand. 

“Thanks!” He said, picking the drink up and starting to turn away. “I’ll see you around.” With one last glance at Finn, the man walked out the door, leaving him standing in the middle of the cafe, a familiarly pleasant knot forming in the pit of his stomach.

-

“You should stay away from him, Finn.” Rey muttered, a knowing look on her face. Finn had his elbows resting on the counter in front of him, his chin cradled in the palms of his hands. Without removing his gaze from the man across the room, Finn huffed out a sigh and dropped his arms, reaching behind him to tighten his apron. 

“Whatever.” He groaned pathetically. He had meant for the word to come out aggressively, though as he looked towards Rey’s grinning face he could tell that it had been a failed attempt. He looked up quickly at the sound of footsteps, just in time to see the man moving across through the cafe and towards the exit, his two friends in toe - before he pushed the door open he looked back over his shoulder, sending Finn a small smile. Having realised he had been caught staring, Finn ducked his head, willing the intense heat that he could feel radiating from his cheeks to go away.

The man had been coming in every day for the past week. He would wait until Finn was free before making his way over to the counter, order his triple espresso-to-go whilst sending Finn petulant smirks and wistful looks, leaving Finn both flustered and delirious. He always had a leather jacket draped over his shoulders, the smell of pine and diesel following him wherever he went.

“It’s nothing.” He said in an attempt to appease Rey who was still beaming at him, though he secretly hoped to himself that that wasn’t true.

-

The whir of the fan usually went unnoticed, but today it was all that he could hear. Finn was already late for work, having slept through the ten alarms that he had set the night before. Despite this he stayed curled up in his bed, letting his mind drift in and out of consciousness. He'd been struggling to sleep the past few days and now he was finally letting himself relax. It was twenty minutes later when he trudged out of bed, pulling the duvet off with him on his way to the bathroom. He turned the shower on, adjusting the temperature so that it was hot enough to be uncomfortable, yet not hot enough to burn his skin. He was still getting over a cold which had stuck with him for the past few days, making it difficult for him to breathe through his clogged up nose - the steam created by the water allowed him a slight moment of relief. Finn just hoped that Rey would have already figured out that Finn didn't plan on going into work today as he didn't feel he could muster up the energy to call in sick. He was sure that Rey could manage the cafe without him; they rarely had more than twenty people pass through on a busy day, and the majority of their customers consisted of the older residents who live in the village. 

Finn and Rey had begun working at Oak Tree Coffee House around a year go - it allowed them to spend some quality time together whilst making some much needed money. His father had been struggling recently, and although he would never admit it, he appreciated the extra income. It hadn't helped when the university brochures had started tumbling through the door. Finn returned from school one day to see his dad sat on the sofa, a brochure in hand and a grim look on his face. 

"I hadn't expected them to start coming through so soon." He had groaned, trying to hide his dismay from his son with little success. Finn had begun to feel guilty, looking for alternatives to university which would somehow offer him the same advantages. His father had stopped him, telling him that they would find a way, the way that they always seemed to. His job offered them a little security, allowing his father to save a small amount of money to put forward to Finn’s education. He couldn't afford to miss much more time off, having used up nearly all of his paid vacation, but he knew that he was in no state to turn up to work today. After his shower Finn returned to his room, shoving on a pair of boxers and throwing himself back into bed. 

It wasn't until a few hours later that he woke up, his sleep disrupted by the incessant knocking on the door downstairs. After a few minuted of trying to block out the sound, he trudged down the stairs and towards the noise, scratching his bare chest as he opened the door. 

"Oh!" was the only sound that he could make as he came face to face with Rey, stood at the door in her plain white shirt and black skinny jeans. 

"Oh." Rey repeated, a grin making its way onto her face. Finn stepped back slightly in an attempt to cover himself with the door, suddenly very aware of the fact that the only thing covering his modesty was a flimsy pair of white briefs. Rey stared at him stupidly, shuffling her feet, raising an eyebrow at the taller man. 

"I guessed that you weren't feeling well." She explained, slipping through the gap in the door. After getting no reply, Rey huffed out a little sigh and made her way into the living room.

“I thought you’d be at work.” He called out over his shoulder, pushing the door to a close.

“I brought you some lunch.” She yelled from the other room, causing an ache in the back of his head to flare up. “Leia agreed to cover for me for a few hours.”

He lumbered into the living-room, where Rey was already laying out the food on the coffee table, before falling back into the armchair. Finn positioned himself on the sofa opposite her. 

“He asked about you.” Rey mumbled once they were both settled, glancing at him from the corner of her eye in an attempt to catch his reaction. Finn simply sent her a quizzical look.

“The man.” She elaborated. “Mr. tall, dark and brooding.” This caused Finn to raise his brow, trying to hide the hopeful glint in his eyes.

“What did he want?” He inquired, reaching across the sofa to grab the blanket that laid there, pulling it up over himself.

“He wanted to know why you weren’t in.” Finn recognised the dour look which cast upon her face and he bit his bottom lip gently. “You really should stay away from him.” She growled.

Finn groaned slightly to himself. She had never been willing to explain exactly why she was so desperately warning him away from the older man and he doubted that he would ever really get a solid answer.

“I don’t even know his name.” He quipped, hoping that this would be enough to ease her concern. With a dejected sigh she shuffled back into the chair, wrapping her arms around herself.

“So,” she said, changing the subject. “Shall we watch some TV?” The slight tension that had built up in the room around them dissipated and Finn grabbed the remote control from off of the floor beside him, throwing it in Rey’s direction. He couldn’t help the snort that left his mouth as the remote collided with the side of her head.


	2. To wash my feet and cleanse my sins

“Do you even know what course you’re applying for yet?” Rey asked, wiping down the counter where some coffee had split.

“I’m not really sure.” He mumbled, leaning his back against the wall. After a few moments pause, he continued tensely. “I was maybe thinking about doing an English degree.” He ducked his head down, feeling his nerves bubbling in the pit of his stomach as Rey stopped in her tracks, tilting her head so that she could get a good view of Finn.

“English?” She questioned, her tone showing her disbelief. “I wasn’t expecting that.” She admitted. She began to bite at her bottom lip, something Finn knows she only does when she’s nervous, sending Finn pitiful glances. 

“I don’t know.” Finn whispered shyly, “I just really enjoy it, is all.” Rey could see the passion bubbling in him, provoking a warm sensation to build up inside of her - it wasn’t a look she saw from him often. Finn rolled his eyes ever so slightly as he noticed her fond expression and let out a soft huff. Pushing himself off of the wall he walked over to stand beside Rey, gently leaning down to rest his forehead against her shoulder miserably.

“It’s stupid, isn’t it.” He whined whilst Rey reached up to run her hand soothingly across the nape of his neck, helping Finn to relax.

“No.” She whispered, “It’s not stupid.” He felt her press a small kiss to his forehead, softening into the warm embrace and allowing his eyes to drift shut. He stayed there for a few moments, content with being held for just a little while.

“So,” she spoke, breaking the comfortable silence which had built up around them “Have you told your dad?” She was treading carefully, attempting not to diminish the excitement which she had seen developing in his eyes. He shook his head against her shoulder and she felt his body sag slightly, leading her to let out a small sigh.

“I’m sure that he’ll understand.” She breathed, though she didn’t even believe the words coming out of her own mouth - there was no way that Finn would.

“I don’t know.” Finn spoke softly, lifting himself back up into a standing position. “He’s not even sure about me going to university, let alone to go and do an English degree.” Rey wanted to protest, but she knew that he was right. There was no way that Finn’s dad would be happy about the prospect of him going off to study English.

“I think he’s got his hopes set on me going into something more science based.” Rey could feel the frown forming on her face, but not wanting to further upset her friend she let out a somewhat put on giggle.

“But you’re awful at science.” She jibed, relaxing slightly when a smirk crossed Finn’s face.

“I’m not nearly as bad as you.” He quipped, giving her a gentle shove on the arm. 

“You just keep telling yourself that, Finn.” The worry dissipated from Finn’s face as they joked, his usual carefree attitude returning, though Rey knew that it was something they would have to address again later on.

-  
The man turned up around six o’clock. Finn could see him standing outside the window from the corner of his eye. A cigarette was dangling from his lips, his eyes flitting between staring at the traffic and staring into the shop. Even from that distance Finn could see the marks scattering his face.

“I’ll have a small mocha cappuccino.” The woman he was currently serving muttered, causing him to remove his gaze from the window.

“Sorry.” He croaked, struggling to focus all of his attention on her. “What was it you wanted?” The woman huffed, closing her eyes for a second as if to regain her composure.

“A small mocha cappuccino.” She repeated and Finn nodded, quickly entering it into the register, repeating the order to Rey over his shoulder. 

“You okay?” Rey asked, appearing from behind him. As she looked out the window to where Finn had been ogling her body tensed up.

“He’s back.” She hissed, her voice taut and shaky. Finn simply shrugged, trying to hide the pleased look on his face. 

“That will be two-fifty.” He said to the woman, looking back over his shoulder at Rey with his eyebrow raised. 

“Are you gonna make it?” He asked when she didn’t make a move, resulting in her shooting him a glare. With a dejected groan she made her way over to the machine, collecting the ingredients from the cupboards. The customer handed over the change before she made her way over to the a table across the room, not waiting for Finn to hand her the receipt. As soon as she was walking away, a chime rang from the door. Finn looked up to see the man prowling in, the lingering scent of smoke drifting in behind him. He made his way straight over to the counter, glimpsing up at Finn as he brushed his fingers through his slicked back hair.

“I’ll have my usual.” He said, the dulcet tones of his voice sending a tingling sensation through Finn’s body. As he examined the man up close he could clearly see the bruises that coated the side of his cheek. The left side of his face was a mixture of blue and yellow marks, trailing down to a cut that resided on his bottom lip. It looked swollen, freshly scabbed over with a small trace of blood still peeking out at the side. It looked painful, his whole face discolored and damaged. Despite this, Finn couldn’t help but find the man alluring - he traced the corners of his chin with his eyes, surveying his chiseled jaw for any injuries, only stopping at the sound of Rey clearing her throat behind him.

“A triple-espresso to go.” He confirmed, praying that he hadn’t been too obvious with his staring as he entered the order into the counter once he got a nod in return. The man handed over the money, resting one of his arms against the counter and letting the other hang at his side. Rey was now busy with cleaning tables, meaning Finn was left to make the drink.

“I’ll get that right away.” He yammered, spinning around to get the order.

As he was placing the drink down a few minutes later, the man smiled and grabbed it from his hand, his fingers smoothly brushing against Finn’s.

“Thanks, kid.” He said, taking a step back. Finn could feel his ears ringing as he watched the man turn to leave, admiring the subtle wiggle in his walk, the way his shoulders straightened back as he approached the door.

“Finn.” He sputtered, immediately filled with a sense of regret as the words tumbled out of his mouth, seemingly uncontrollably. “My name’s Finn.” He explained hopelessly a few seconds later. The man merely squinted at him, a look of complete and utter confusion clouding his features. 

“Well, it was lovely to see you again, Finn.” The words rolled off of his tongue as the look of confusion was replaced with a smug grin. As the man began to walk away again Finn started to feel flustered, and before he could stop himself he was calling out to the man once more.

“What’s your name?” Finn asked, his voice booming through the silent room, the words leaving his mouth much louder than he expected them to. He could feel the eyes of the other customer fixated on him as he shuffled his feet around gracelessly, looking and feeling completely ridiculous. The other man turned back again, slowly giving Finn a once over, his tongue poking out to wet the broken skin on his lower lip.

“My name?” He inquired, still observing Finn. His eyes appeared to be slightly glazed over as he gave Finn what could only be described as a slightly predatory smile.

“Yeah.” Finn said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his apron. “I mean, I told you my name, now you have to tell me yours.” The man looked entirely bewildered, though he still had a pleasant look on his face, making Finn feel like a little bit less of an idiot. 

“Oh, I do, do I?” He asked impetuously, raising an eyebrow and taking a step towards the counter. His head was tilted ever so slightly, ostensibly considering every aspect of Finn. He looked strangely amused by the whole situation, whilst Finn felt completely mortified.

“No.” He stuttered quickly. “I mean, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Finn quickly averted his gaze to the ground, desperately hoping for it to swallow him up. Before that could happen, the older man across from him let out a deep laugh which rumbled through the room, stirring something in Finn’s gut.

“Poe.” He stated, sending him a subtle wink, making Finn’s knees want to buck forward. The man, Poe, casually spun back around and silently strolled out of the door.

“Poe.” Finn repeated to the now empty space in front of him.

“God, that was pathetic.” Rey chuckled out from beside him, causing Finn’s skin to flush as he jumped forward at the intrusion. 

“You’re pathetic.” He retorted, ignoring the snort that Rey released. 

“Sure.” She sang, patting him roughly on the shoulder before making her way across the room to clear the only remaining customer’s table.


	3. To lose my cobwebs on the wind

“Have you spoken to him yet?” Rey asked, shoving her arm roughly through the hole in her jacket. They were closing up for the day with only Finn, Rey and Leia left in the shop.

“I’m gonna talk to him tonight.” Finn affirmed, ignoring the cynical expression on Rey’s face.

“Who are you talking to tonight?” Leia’s voice squeaked out from behind them as she strode into the room. Her keys were dangling from her hand as she pushed past them to get to the door, ready to lock up behind them once they left. Finn stared at her for a moment, worrying his bottom lip between him teeth.

“My dad.” He muttered out softly, skimming his hand over the top of his head as if to calm himself down.

“You still haven’t told him?” Leia sounded slightly shocked with a hint of concern mixed into her voice and it caused Finn to let out a barely audible whine. “Your application needs to be sent off soon.” She continued in her usual coddling manner which made Finn feel all soft and gooey inside, though he would never admit that out loud. She reached over to give him a firm pat on the shoulder before yanking the door wide open, gesturing for them to leave. Once outside, Leia turned to look at Finn, sending him a reassuring smile.

“You’ll be fine, sweetheart.” She told him, reaching out to pull him into her arms soothingly. “What’s the worst that could happen?” 

-

“I’ve been thinking about applying to do an English Literature course at King’s.” Finn blurted the moment he stepped foot into the kitchen, his voice full of faux bravado. There was a brief moment of silence, though Finn was sure that it was most likely due to the fact that his father hadn’t understood a word that he had just said.

“I’m sorry?” His father hummed, placing his phone down on the counter and looking back up at Finn.

“I’m applying to do an English Literature course at King’s College.” Finn spoke much more slowly this time, though his voice still felt rocky as it left his mouth. His father simply stared back at him, his face giving no indication of his emotional state.

“So,” Finn drawled, rocking back on the heels of his feet as he filled the silence. Before he could get out another word, his dad began to speak.

“What do you want to do with that?” His tone was brittle, his shoulders squaring up as he took a small step forward.

“I’m not sure yet.” As Finn stood there in the middle of the room, he suddenly felt meagre - there was a familiar sense of unease building up inside of him and as he looked back up at his father he suddenly felt as if he were trapped. His dad was continuing to walk towards him, one step at a time, his eyes hooked on Finn’s. A few moments later and Finn was backed up against the kitchen wall, his father’s body only centi-meters away from his. His father’s breath was fanning over his face and the usual scent of whisky caused his stomach to coil.

“I thought we had agreed on somewhere a little closer to home.” His father muttered, his voice turning unusually soft as he quickly moved back to create some space between them, seemingly regaining his senses. Finn felt a wave of guilt wash over him as he observed his father - his eyes were bloodshot, his body tense and his mouth turned down into a deep frown. Finn let out a shaky breath which he had been holding in, looking down at his shoes so he didn’t have to see the disappointment evident of his dad’s face.

“It’s a really good university.” He whispered pathetically. “My teachers have said that I have a good chance of getting in.” His dad had moved away from him completely now, making his way towards the opposite side of the room.

“Okay.” He said simply, his back turned towards his son.

“Okay?” Finn questioned, still stood with his body against the wall.

“Yes.” His father replied, releasing a soft sigh. “It’s your mistake to make.” Finn flinched slightly at his choice of words, knowing that his father still wasn’t too pleased with his decision, but he accepted the answer anyway, allowing himself to feel slightly relieved.

-

Finn was walking to Rey’s house the next evening - his scarf was wrapped tightly around his neck, protruding from underneath his thick coat. It was a ten minute walk and usually he would get a lift from his dad but he felt that he could do with the fresh air. It was pitch black outside and he was only halfway there, making his way past the local pub when he suddenly flinched at the rumble of a machine as he passed by. Looking back out of the corner of his eye, he saw a group of people huddled together, each perched on the edge of what Finn assumed was their own motorbikes. He hunched his shoulders in an attempt to appear smaller as the group let out drunken roars of laughter in response to his reaction. His attention was quickly grabbed by the voice calling his name.

“Finn!” They howled, their voice followed by an upsurge of laughter. Finn looked over his shoulder at the crowd, a spark of excitement igniting in him as his eyes were met by Poe’s. The older man nodded at him in acknowledgement, a cigarette resting between his lips. Finn grinned over at him, taking in his attire - he was covered in leather, his trousers and jacket clinging to him tightly. From what Finn could see, his cheeks were pink and flushed, either from the alcohol he had consumed or the bitter breeze, Finn couldn’t be sure. After sending a slightly awkward wave, Finn turned back around and continued walking.  
“Was that the kid?” He heard the woman ask as he began to shuffle away, though Poe quickly hushed her. Finn found the grin returning to his face.

-

Poe didn’t show up the next day and Finn tried his best to hide his disappointment, though it was clear that Rey could see right through him.

“This is so pathetic.” She had whined when she caught Finn staring at the door expectantly. He had grown accustomed to Poe’s visits - it was something that he now looked forward to.

It was approaching closing time when a woman pushed her way through the small crowd which had gathered in the shop, her shoulders pushed back and her arms crossed over her chest. Finn recognized her, though he couldn’t quite place where he knew her from.

“Hello, Rey.” The woman greeted, causing Finn to shoot her a curious glance. “And hello to you too, Finn.” This caused Finn to stop dead in his tracks, the mug he was holding nearly sliding from his grip.

“Me?” He squeaked, ignoring her amused expression. 

“Yes, you.” She immediately turned her attention back to Rey, completely disregarding the bewildered look on Finn’s face. The woman quickly left after receiving her order, not saying another word to Finn.

“Who was that?” He asked Rey the moment the woman walked out of the door.

“It was nobody.” She sent him a reassuring smile, yet Finn could see the glint of concern in her eyes. “Don’t worry about it.”

-

After almost a week of Poe not showing up to the shop, Finn was beginning to feel flustered. He spent most of his shifts with his eyes glued to the door, barely paying any attention to the customers who passed through. Rey and Leia had both noticed, but both of them had decided it best not to comment. 

It was ten o’clock on a Friday night and Finn was stood outside the same bar where he had seen Poe over a week ago. He felt slightly ridiculous for turning up - it was clear to everyone that he wasn’t supposed to be there, and his tense posture surely didn’t help the matter. 

After a few moments of hesitation, he pushed his way through the door. He was overcome by the smell of beer and urine and he had to cover his nose to prevent himself from gagging. There were bodies pressed up against him as he made his was through the crowds - strangers hands were moving up against his back and Finn almost immediately regretted his decision to come here. The music was too loud and he all the seats by the bar were filled, leaving Finn stood awkwardly to the side, attempting to look over the top of the crowd to see if he could find Poe. He had seen the bikes outside, but that didn’t necessarily mean that Poe was there. 

As he spun around on his tiptoes, trying to get a good view, a hand was placed on his shoulder, pushing him back down to the ground.

“You want a drink?” The voice uttered, the person’s lips grazing against his ear. Finn rapidly pulled away from the stranger’s touch, stuttering out a “No, thank you.” as he stumbled away.

Only twenty minutes after he had arrived, Finn found himself stood back outside. He felt completely defeated and shaken, suddenly very grateful that Poe hadn’t been there to see his ridiculous display. 

As he began to walk away, he heard a small whimper echo out from the alley behind the pub. He attempted to ignore it, knowing that it was something he most likely did not want to see, but only seconds later the noise called out again. Against his better judgement, Finn allowed his feet to carry him towards the noise.

As he stood at the entrance to the alleyway, Finn felt the air leave his body. He took in the familiar figure - the leather jacket, the tight trousers, hair slicked back with his roughcast jawline.

Poe was stood only meters from him, another man pressed up against the wall. Poe’s hand was clutched tightly around the other man’s neck as he growled quietly into his ear. Finn wasn’t able to make out what he was saying. He took a step back, hoping that he could get away unnoticed and just pretend that this night had never happened. He silently cursed himself as he stumbled over his own feet, the sound of the gravel moving beneath him reverberating through the empty street. 

Within a second Poe’s eyes were fixed on him and his hand dropped from the other man’s throat, causing him to fall to the ground with a solid thump. Before Poe could make any kind of move, Finn was off, running as fast as his legs could carry him in the opposite direction.

“Shit!” He heard Poe screech.


	4. To fix the parts of me I broke

Finn felt sick. His head was spinning, his eyes blurred and heavy. The music was fuzzy in the background, merging with the sounds of people’s laughter and drunken conversations. Rey’s garden was completely packed and Finn had barely seen her since he arrived a few hours earlier - it was her 18th birthday party and she had apparently invited half of the sixth form to turn up. Finn had never been much of a drinker, only really having a few beers at family gatherings and a few sips of whiskey from his dad’s cupboard when nobody was looking. Now, he was sat on Rey’s kitchen counter, desperately trying to hold in the contents of his stomach, which mostly consisted of the vodka and lemonade which strangers had been passing him all evening. Rey’s dad, Luke, was stood beside him, filling a glass to the brim with water from the tap. He was tall and burly, his figure crowding over Finn’s, making him feel extremely cramped in the empty room.

Luke had found him leaning against the back door, hunched over and heaving. He had quickly rushed him inside and manhandled him towards the kitchen, loudly locking the door behind as if to ward all of the other drunken teenagers away, huffing and tutting as he did so.

“You want me to call your dad?” He asked, placing the glass in Finn’s shaky hands. Finn shook his head, gulping the water back and taking in a few deep breaths. He felt completely mortified - he had never been drunk before and now he was beginning to remember why he hadn’t bothered. Luke’s face was filled with concern, which Finn found to be slightly disconcerting; it wasn’t a look he had ever seen on the man before.

Of all the years Finn had known Rey he had only encountered Luke a handful of times, and most of those encounters had been fleeting. He was usually holed up in his office or away on a business trip.

“You’re alright to walk home?” He asked a few minutes later, helping Finn to jump down off of the counter. He faltered slightly when he landed, his knees bucking under him which caused Luke to let out a huff of laughter. Finn nodded in response to his question, hoping that the fresh air would help to clear his head and sober him up.

“Okay.” He agreed, “just make sure to ring either me or Rey when you get back.” There was no room for disagreement in his tone and Finn couldn’t help but smile at him going into parental mode. Finn had always though he was a good dad to Rey, despite the fact he was rarely around.

With a firm pat on the back, Finn was away, making his way down the street as Luke watched him from the front door.

-

Finn had been walking for only five minutes before he heard the footsteps following him. He quickened his pace, dread building up inside of him as the footsteps began to match his own. His breath felt heavy in his mouth, the sound of his own wheezing blocking out the footsteps. This only caused Finn’s concern to increase, now unaware of how far away the other person was from him.

He didn’t have long to allow his panic to fester - soon he was being dragged backwards onto the ground, the gravel scraping against the skin on his back as his shirt rode up. As the adrenaline began to kick in, Finn swung his arm back, only to have the stranger catch his wrist, clutching at it tightly. He was struggling to grasp his surroundings, the mixture of alcohol and adrenalin making it hard for him to determine up from down. There was a hand being shoved into his pocket, and despite Finn’s attempts the other man managed to pull out the contents, what Finn assumed was his phone. His arm was pinned above his head, a knee being shoved against his chest, fixing him to the ground. His breathing was becoming shallow as he struggled against the body, trying to make sense of the situation. Rationally, he knew that he was certainly as strong as this man, possibly stronger, yet his mind couldn’t seem to control the actions of his body.

“Hey.” A voice rumbled, and for a moment the pressure on his chest lessened, though the body didn’t remove itself from on top of him. Now that everything had stalled, Finn was able to look up at the other man. From what Finn could tell he was tall - his hair was dark, his face long and sculpted, all sharp angles and pale skin.

“Poe?” The voice above him rattled as the man shifted his leg off of Finn and rested it on the pavement. He seemed to be nervous, preparing for his escape. At the sound of the name, Finn looked up and felt a wave of relief wash over him. Poe was standing there, both his fists and jaw clenched as he observed the scene before him.

“Get off of him, Kylo.” He gnarled, his top lip curling up menacingly. Only a second later and Finn had been released, his phone dropping from the man’s hand as he scrambled off of him. Finn managed to shuffle himself back towards the edge of the pathway, leaning his back against the bushes. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears, meaning he was unable to make sense of the conversation between Poe and Kylo. Poe’s hand was wound tightly around the collar of Kylo’s shirt, their noses almost pressed together as Poe spat out what Finn was assuming to be threats. His other had wasn’t visible to Finn, though he could see Kylo’s eyes drifting down towards it every few seconds apprehensively. Poe hastily shoved the other man away, causing his to trip, falling against the bush which Finn was leaning on. After regaining his balance, the trembling man sprinted away, not once looking in Finn’s direction.

Finn adverted his gaze back towards Poe, attempting to ignore the sliver of silver he saw as Poe crossed his arms behind his back, shoving something into his pocket.

-

“You need some help, kiddo?” Poe’s had asked once Finn was standing again. His hand landed on his shoulder, his firm grip keeping Finn grounded as he turned Finn’s body in his direction. His mind flashed back to that night at the bar and the memory of Poe’s hand squeezing the air out of the stranger’s throat, the smile plastered on his face as he did so, caused Finn to recoil. Seeming to notice his hesitation, Poe removed his grasp, a slight frown forming on his lips. Without Poe’s hand to keep him stable, Finn found himself stumbling to the side as he attempted to focus his vision.

“Jesus.” Poe grumbled “How much have you had to drink?” His eyebrows furrowed as he held out his hand, ready to catch Finn were he to fall. 

“A lot.” Finn giggled, unable to stop the sounds from tumbling out of his mouth. His whole head felt fuzzy and he was struggling to keep his thoughts straight. Poe stared at him for a few seconds, taking in the state of the boy.

“I’m gonna walk you home, okay Finn?” He said gently, and before he even had a chance to respond, Poe was resting his hand against the back of his arm and steering him down the street. They walked in silence, Poe having to tug Finn back onto the path every time he began to stray towards the road. The only words exchanged between them were Poe’s prompting and Finn’s vague directions. If Finn weren’t so drunk, he would most likely have been concerned about being alone with Poe, but with his inhibitions lowered he simply felt relieved that someone was there to hold him up.

-

Finn had expected Poe to leave once they had reached his house, but he walked him up to his front doorstep, watching as Finn fumbled around in his pockets to find the key. Once he had the key in the lock he struggled to turn in - instead he twisted it back and forth, hoping for it to magically open. After a while of watching Poe let out a fond laugh, swatting Finn’s hand away and unlocking the door himself. 

“Are you okay to get upstairs?” He questioned, still resting his hand on Finn to keep him stable. Finn nodded in response, pushing the door open with more force than he had intended.

“Okay.” Poe said, once again turning Finn to face him. His eyes roamed over Finn’s body, taking in his soft features and sluggish posture. “You need to be more careful, Finn.” He murmured, more to himself than anyone else. “I might not be there to help you next time.” Finn gawked at him ardently, unable to stop himself from admiring the troubled look on the other man’s face.

“I’ll be more careful.” He promised, his body swaying lightly. “G’night.” He slurred faintly, sending Poe a small smile before he made his way inside, locking up behind him. As he made his way upstairs Poe was still stood on the doorstep, anxiously running his fingers through his hair and gently cursing to himself.

It wasn’t until Finn was wrapped up in bed that he realized he had forgotten to call Luke.


End file.
